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Vegetation effectively prevents soil erosion; however, little information is available on the effects of plant stems on sediment transport capacity. The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of plant stem arrangement patterns on sediment transport capacity and to quantify this relationship. Artificial plant stems (stem diameter, 0.01 m) were arranged in five patterns: tessellated, random, bead, zigzag, and banding. Two discharges, two slope gradients, and two plant basal cover conditions were used to conduct flume experiments. Results revealed that plant stem arrangement affected flow regime, hydraulic parameters, hydrological connectivity, and sediment transport capacity. The structural index of connectivity (i.e., the index of sediment connectivity) and the functional index of connectivity (i.e., flow velocity) were used to quantify the effects of plant stem arrangement on sediment transport capacity. The latter exhibited a significant linear function with hydraulic parameters, including flow velocity (p < .05). Unit stream power had the greatest adjusted R2 value and provided the best estimation of sediment transport capacity. Plant stem arrangement did not affect the relationship between sediment transport capacity and hydraulic parameters. These results are helpful and will enhance our predictions of different plant stem arrangement effects on sediment transport capacity.

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